Head Over Heels
by Starlight2010
Summary: Chloe Wenneck, Phil's twin sister and best friend of Stu and Doug, has moved back to Los Angeles. Soon after she's settled in she comes to realize what those feelings she's felt towards Stu all her life are, and becomes "head over heels" in love. Stu/OC.
1. Back Home Again

Hi, all, this is my very first submission here! Note that this all takes place after the movie. Rated M for language.

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My name is Chloe Wenneck, America's newest failure of life and everything that it comes with. That's right; After a great career of being a veterinarian assistant, which was something I absolutely love doing, might I add, I managed to completely blow everything, leading got myself fired. How you ask? That's something I'd rather not talk about. It wasn't exactly the smartest thing I've ever done. Not to mention that I have been evicted from my apartment due to not being able to pay my bills. That really was the cherry on top of everything I had fucked up.

So, that's why I'm currently in my brother, Phil's car on the way back home to Los Angeles, where I will be forced to live with my parents until I find a job somewhere and make enough money to go off somewhere on my own. God only knows how long that will take. Due to being busy with my job, I hadn't seen much of my family or old friends back home, so seeing them definitely will be a positive side to what otherwise has been the worst two months I have ever experienced in my entire life.

"How much longer?" I complain, throwing my head back on my seat of the passenger side of Phil's car.

"You know that keeping on saying that won't get us home any sooner, right?" Phil replies in a sarcastic tone, clearly still finding me just as annoying as the last time he saw me. I lifted my head, looking at him through the lenses of my sunglasses. He hasn't changed one bit.

"Whatever," I mumble, turning my head to look out the window. Palm trees, rocks, grass, palm trees, rocks, grass. It certainly was exciting. Sighing, I close my eyes, attempting to maybe fall asleep to pass the time. To my luck, I was soon found drifting off and within a couple of minutes I was fast asleep.

"Chloe… Chloe…" The sound of somebody calling my name broke through whatever I was dreaming of and I stirred, furrowing my eyebrows. A nice punch to my arm took the opportunity of waking me.

"What the fuck?" I yelled, trying to register where I was. "What was that for?" I shot Phil a deathly glare, which was unfortunately hidden by my sunglasses.

"We're here, dumbass," Phil said, turning the keys until the car shut off. I sat up straight and let out a particularly loud yawn. Looking out the front window of the car at the house I spent my childhood in, I sighed. Mom sure was going to be excited to see me. And knowing my mother, "excited" meant going insane to a point where she'll be screaming too much to get any words out of her mouth. Taking off my seat belt, I opened the door and got out. Phil was already out and getting my luggage out of the trunk. The rest would be brought by truck later. Closing the door, I grabbed a few bags myself and made my way towards the front door.

Before I even reached the front steps the door swung open and out came my mother.

"Chloe, you're here, you're here, you're here!" screamed my mother, bursting into tears before she reached the bottom of the stairs. She then proceeded to grab me into a death grip of a hug, causing me to drop whatever I previously had in my hands.

"Yes, mom, I'm here," I managed to say, gasping for breath. I was on the verge of crying myself if she didn't let go soon. Phil could be heard smirking behind me.

"Oh, I'm so happy to see you," mom said, finally letting go of me. I breathed in a much needed breath and smiled.

"It's great to see you too," I said, laying a hand on her shoulder. My father then appeared in the doorway, his oh-so-familiar smile on his face.

"Hi, dad!" I , climbing the stairs to hug him. I had a great relationship with my father, he has done so much for me while growing up. That, and he was the only sane person I could go to for advice.

"Looking good, Clo," he said with a grin, using the nickname he had called me ever since I could remember. Oh, how good it was to be in his company again. "I'll help you with your things," he added, going to the car and taking out some more of my luggage.

"Come in," said my mother. I leaned down to pick up my bags again. Mom then took my arm and lead me into the house. Everything looked the same as I remember, which was something that made me feel a whole lot better.

"I'll take this upstairs," I informed, nodding my head towards the handful of bags I was holding. With that, I made my way up my stairs and into my old room. Dropping my things, I flicked on the light and couldn't help but to smile to myself. Like downstairs, my room looked exactly as it did before I had left for college. Teddy bears were piled on my bed and pictures of myself, Stu, Doug and even Phil could be seen everywhere. A particular one caught my eye, and I took a closer look at it. It was a photo of Stu and I, taken on the last day of school before I left. I smiled half-heatedly to myself. I'd have to make a trip to see the him very soon, possibly today. Doug too, of course. I missed them both an awful lot.

"What are you doing?" came a voice from my doorway; Phil, there was no doubt about that. I hadn't noticed I had been starting at the picture with what was probably an extremely stupid smile on my face. I shook my head and looked away.

"Nothing," I said quickly, moving to put my bags in the corner to make things look a bit more organized. I also took the bags he had carried up with him. I turned my attention back to my brother to see him looking at me with a raised eyebrow. I just shoved past him and went out the door to meet my father half way up the stairs with more of my luggage.

"Thanks, dad, I got it," I told him, taking the bags he was carrying.

"That's the last of it, by the way," he said, smiling briefly at me before turning and going back downstairs. I sighed contently, happier than I thought I would be about being home again. I then went on to bring the last of my luggage to my room. Phil was still there, now sitting on my teddy bear invaded bed. I gave him a weird look before putting my bags with the rest of my stuff. Now I just needed to unpack, but I decided that could wait. I then went and sat next to Phil, moving to lay down, staring up at the ceiling.

"Good to be home, hm?" Phil said, looking over his shoulder at me. I only nodded, closing my eyes for a moment. "Want me to drive you to see the guys?" he offered. My eyes snapped open at those words and I immediately sat back up.

"Really? I mean, you'd do that?" I asked, looking at my brother curiously.

"Sure, I mean, why not?" he said with a smirk, pushing me over and getting up. I furrowed by eyebrows, but I couldn't help but to smile.

"Be ready in 5 minutes, we'll leave then," he informed before going out the door. Shit, 5 minutes? I need to make myself look a bit better than I did now. My hair was pulled back very messily into a ponytail and I didn't have any makeup on. I know that it's just Stu and Doug, the guys who I spent every waking minute with as a kid. Still, I felt it was necessary to make myself at least a little more attractive that I was at the moment. Getting up off of my bed, I rushed towards my luggage. Fuck, I hope my makeup and hair styling supplies wasn't in the moving truck. Breathing a sigh of relief when I found everything I needed was here, I practically ran to the bathroom to freshen up.

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So, what did you think? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Reviews are greatly appreciated and encouraged!


	2. Reunited

Banging could be soon heard on the bathroom door, followed by the voice of my annoyed brother.

"Come on, Chloe!" Phil yelled from behind the door. I rolled my eyes.

"Fuck off, Phil, I'm almost ready," I said angrily, applying my mascara hastily. Putting the cap back on, I shoved it into my bag and tossed it on the floor. I then stepped back to admire my work. My hair was now done, styled with whatever I found in my bag to give it a messy look, and with a simple mix of eyeliner, mascara and eyeshadow my makeup was done. I had thrown on a pair of tight, flare bottom jeans and a red spaghetti-strap tank top I had found in one of my luggage bags. Satisfied, I opened the door where Phil still stood waiting with his arms crossed. I just smirked at him.

"Well, let's go," I said, walking downstairs, putting on my pair of black converse I had left in the porch, then proceeded out the front door and back into the passenger seat of Phil's car. He soon showed up and started the car.

"Where to first?" he asked, looking over at me. It didn't take long for me to make my decision.

"Stu's," I said simply, eager to get going and even more eager to see him. I actually don't know when the last time I had seen him was. I did keep in touch, of course, but there was one thing I wasn't sure of.

"Where does he live? Did he or Melissa keep the house?" I asked, putting on my sunglasses and looking over to Phil.

"Melissa took off somewhere, so he has the house," he replied, shaking his head, probably just at the thought of Melissa. I nodded and Phil backed out of the driveway and onto the street. God, I can't believe he stayed with Melissa for 3 years, she was pure evil. I'm sure she's out there somewhere torturing somebody already. I shook my head and sighed. I'm just happy he's not with her anymore.

In no time, Phil was pulling up to Stu's house and my heartbeat started to speed up, my breathing becoming quite irregular. We got out and I literally ran to the front door and knocked, with much force, might I add. Soon, the door opened and Stu appeared. I wasted no time and flung myself at him, throwing my arms around his neck.

"Chloe?!" he stammered, obviously surprised to see me. He hugged back, and like my mother, was soon squeezing the life out of me, though I didn't care too much at the moment.

"Hey! Surprised?" I said through a sudden outburst of laughter. His reaction had truly made my day. Hell, just being able to see him had already made my day.

"Surprised isn't the word," he said, pulling back and placing two of his hands on my shoulders, grinning like a madman. I laughed. "What are you doing here?" he asked, removing his hands from my shoulders and honestly, I was temporarily saddened by the loss of contact.

"Well, as you already know, I lost my job, and since I couldn't afford to pay for my apartment, I moved back with my parents," I explained, the smile on my face never going away. Loosing my job and being evicted isn't exactly a positive subject, but I couldn't contain myself. I was just so incredibly happy to see him.

"Ah, that's not good. Though it is good. No, great to see you," he said, and it was when he smiled again I realized something that I was too excited before to notice. With that, a round of fits of laughter set it.

"Oh my god!," I managed to say between breaths, looking at the hole where his tooth had been before. "I forgot about your tooth!" I exclaimed, doubling over with laughter. He looked hilarious.

"Uh, yeah, I still need to fix that," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, but he couldn't help but to laugh. My fits subsided and I laid a hand on his shoulder, trying to get my breath back. Finally everything was in check and I took my hand away. "Do you want to come in?" he offered.

"I'd love to, but I have to go see Doug first," I told him, a bit disappointed that I couldn't stay. "Sorry," I added, looking at Stu apologetically.

"Could I come?" he asked. "I mean, maybe we could all go out for something to eat after," he explained. My expression lightened up at once.

"Of course, that would be great!" I said, grabbing Stu's hand and speeding down the stairs. We reached the car and I released his hand, but not before I noticed the color in Stu's face. I felt my heart flutter, but didn't take any notice to it. Right then I was too excited to see Doug. We piled in the car, me in the passenger seat and Stu in the back when I noticed Phil looking at me. I turned my attention to him.

"What?" I asked annoyingly, but he just raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, nothing," he said, starting the car. I sent him a weird look, but he either didn't see it, or ignored it. I sighed in frustration. I didn't want to argue with him.

We then drove off towards Doug and Tracey's house. Again, my excitement began to build and I was practically jumping out of my seat. We soon pulled into Doug's driveway and I immediately got out and ran to the door. Knocking, I waited and finally the door opened. But instead of Doug appearing, out came Tracey.

"Hello, is Doug home? Oh, and I'm Chloe, in case you're wondering," I said, as she looked a bit confused when I had asked for Doug.

"Oh, Chloe, as in Doug's old friend?" she questioned.

'Yes, that's right," I replied. She nodded and went back inside. Within moments, Doug appeared in the doorway.

"Chloe!" he yelled as soon as he saw me, picking me up and swinging me around. I hugged him and laughed as I was swung in continuous circles. He finally set me down and we separated. "How've you been? Why are you here? How long are you staying?" came his flow of questions. Before he could ask anything else, I covered his mouth with my hand. "Sorry," he added, but his smile never faded for one second.

"Hi, Doug!" I began. "Well, I've been okay; could have been a lot better. I'm here because I was forced to leave my apartment as I couldn't afford to keep it after loosing my job and am now staying with my parents. And I'm staying for however long it takes for me to find a job and somewhere to live. But I'm thinking about staying in Los Angeles, I just missed you guys too much," I said with a grin.

"Well, that's great! I mean, besides loosing your job and home," he said. He then looked over my shoulder to the car. "Hey, is that Phil and Stu?" he questioned, looking back to me.

"Yeah, Stu suggested that we all go out for a bite to eat, you want to come? I asked, waiting for his reply.

"Sure, let me just tell Tracey. I don't want her to freak out when she sees me gone without any warning," he said, laughing briefly. With those words, he turned and leaned half way through the front door.

"Tracey! I'm going out for lunch with Chloe and the guys, okay?" he yelled, quite loudly, too. I heard a muffled reply, but before I asked what she had said, Doug was half way down the stairs. I followed him to the car, and before I could say anything, he had climbed into the front seat. He seemed pretty happy, so I didn't want to say anything. Instead, I got in the back with Stu. He shot me a smile as I buckled up, which I gratefully returned. It was absolutely amazing to be back as a group again.


	3. Just Like Old Times

**KittyClair: **Thank you for your review! I'm glad you like the story, it means a lot to me that you do =D Here's another chapter.

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After much debate we all came to a decision we would go to a small family-owned restaurant, they had great food, plus it was one of the many places we used to visit frequently together. It was beginning to get dark when Phil finally found a parking spot and pulled in. The lot was packed.

"Jesus, I didn't think I'd ever get somewhere to park. I hope we can get a table," Phil announced. I nodded in agreement and went to unbuckle my seat belt. When it wouldn't budge, I swore under my breath.

"Phil, what the hell is wrong with your seat belt?" I asked, shaking it furiously, but no avail. Phil looked back at me and tried to hide his laugh.

"Oh yeah, that one gets fucked up sometimes," he said, making various faces in his attempt not to burst out laughing. I glared at him.

"Here, let me see if I can get it," said Stu, and leaned over to try his luck with the demon seat belt. He took the seat belt buckle from me, causing our hands to briefly brush together. I felt my face slightly heat up but turned away to hide it from the guys. Finally I heard something that resembled a loud snap and I looked down to see Stu with two pieces of the seat belt in his hand. All awkwardness left the scene and I began to laugh which was soon followed by the sound of Stu and Doug's laughter as well. Phil, however, didn't look to amused.

"Dude! You broke my seat belt!" Phil cried, doing a great job with stating the obvious. We just all continued to laugh.

"Sorry, but I don't see how else Chloe could have gotten out of the car," Stu informed, still smirking. "Come on, I'll pay for it," he said when Phil sent him a hard look.

"Whatever, let's just go," Phil said, opening the car door and getting out, Doug doing the same. Before Stu could get out I grabbed his sleeve.

"Thanks," I said, smiling warmly at him. He answered by nodding and sent a lopsided smile in my direction. I let go of his shirt and got out of the car. We all then walked inside of the restaurant, greeted by one hell of a lot of people.

"Oh, shit," Doug said, looking around, probably to see if there were any free tables. A male waiter approached us.

"Welcome, we'll see if we have any spots available for you. Four is it?" he said, taking a look at us. Before we could answer he turned on his heel and went into the kitchen. I sighed in frustration. I hadn't realized how hungry I was, and I really didn't want to wait too much longer. I went to sit down on the waiting chairs next to the entrance. Stu and Doug sat on each side of me and Phil leaned against the wall.

"This should be fun," I announced. "It honestly doesn't look like anyone's leaving soon," I added, scanning the restaurant to find everyone enjoying their meals.

"Does anyone want to go someplace else?" Doug questioned, though I know how much he loved the food here, the same with everyone else.

"I'd rather not, but if things don't let up soon, we should," I said, a bit disappointed that we may not be able to eat here. I haven't been here for years. Everyone nodded in agreement.

Luckily, after about 15 minutes of waiting the guy who we had seen earlier came back. I lifted my head from where it was resting on Stu's shoulder and Doug removed his head from my shoulder.

"A group of people are leaving now and since we have no more reservations for tonight, you all can have their booth," he informed us. I grinned and got out of my seat. "Give us one moment to clean up your table," he said and was off again. I stretched and watched the waiter clean off our booth. When it looked like he was done with everything I nodded to the guys so we could go sit down. I sat at the far end of one side of the booth, Stu sitting next to me and Phil sat across from me with Doug next to him. Another waiter, a woman came to our table and gave us each a menu.

"Would anyone like something to drink?" she asked, pulling out a pen and notebook. We ordered our drinks and she went off into the kitchen.

"It's good to be all together again, isn't it?" I said, looking around at each of the guys.

"Absolutely, this is great," Stu replied, muttering a quick thanks to the waiter as she handed him his drink.

The rest of the night consisted of laughing, talking and generally having a great time. Not to mention eating a meal of the best food the world has to offer. I haven't felt this good in years, and that was something I was thankful for; it was something that really made me feel better about myself, as lately that feeling wasn't exactly there at all. It was almost closing time by the time we decided to leave.

"I guess we should get going. The restaurant will be closing at anytime now," Doug announced, moving to get up. I did the same, shifting over on the booth and waiting for Stu to move.

However, right then he was occupied with his cell phone and didn't notice I was trying to get out of the booth. While waiting for him to finish whatever he was doing, my jean-clad knee brushed up against his, which caused him to immediately look up at me. We locked gazes and just like in the car, my face heated up to a point where I knew it would be visible to him. I was temporarily embarrassed but I then took notice that it seemed he was having the same problem. Color was clearly present in his face. It was then I realized that the weird feeling I always used to get when I was around Stu, even as a young teenager and the feeling I was getting now weren't normal friendly feelings. No, it couldn't be. Stu and I have been friends for so long, I couldn't possibly be, dare I say it, _in love _with him, could I?

I was broken from my trace, where I was still staring at Stu, he doing the same when Phil cleared his throat. I jumped away from him, by blush deepening. Stu shifted uncomfortably in his seat before standing. I moved and stood up, meeting Phil's face. He was wearing his signature smartass look with one of his eyebrows raised and a lopsided smirk. I lowered my eyebrows, frowning at him before going to pay for my bill. It was then I realized I hadn't taken any money with me.

"Shit, I don't have any money," I complained, searching my pockets. I was in such a hurry to get ready and go back home that I had forgotten to bring any money. I honestly didn't at the time think I would need anything anyway. Stu came to my side.

"You don't have any money?" he asked. I answered by shaking my head. He pulled out his wallet and took my bill. "I'll pay for it," he told me, going up to the cashier to pay.

"Oh, Stu, you don't have to do that," I said, but he just brushed me off and continued on with what he was doing. "I'll pay you back, I promise," I told him. He sighed and turned to me.

"Chloe, don't worry about it, it's on me," he said with a smile. "Consider it as a welcome home present. Though it's not much of a good present," he said with a short laugh. I chuckled and touched his arm.

"Thank you, Stu," I said, truly appreciating what he had done.

After everyone had paid for their food, we all left the restaurant and piled into the car once again. I looked at the broken seat belt and laughed. It was obvious it wasn't ever going to be used again. We dropped off Doug first, and with a quick hug and goodbye we were off to Stu's house. Phil pulled in his driveway and I turned to hug Stu before he could get out of the car.

"Thanks again for the dinner," I said, letting go of him.

"No problem," he said, smiling softly. He then opened the door to get out, shutting it behind him. He waved at me from behind the window and I waved back. With that, Phil backed up and we were on the road back home. He looked at me in the rear-view mirror and smirked. Letting out a frustrated sigh, and sank down in my seat and laid my head on the seat of the car, thinking about what had happened with Stu tonight. Could I really be in love with him?


	4. Realization

**KittyClair:** Thanks again for your review, you're very kind =)

This chapter is a bit boring/depressing/sad. Hopefully you guys will enjoy it all the same.

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Within a few minutes after dropping Stu off, Phil and I arrived home. We both got out of the car and immediately I went upstairs and threw myself onto my bed, sending stuffed animals in every size, shape and color everywhere. Phil arrived behind me in moment and sat down on my bed next to my knee. I didn't even bother to look up at him. Instead I draped my arm over my eyes, sighing loudly. However, his next words seemed to do a fantastic job of catching my attention.

"You finally figured it out, huh?" he asked, quite casually as a matter of fact. I sprung up from where I was laying and looked at Phil weirdly.

"What are you talking about?" I questioned, my heart rate slowly climbing with every word I said. He just chuckled under his breath. That bastard.

"I think you know perfectly well what I'm talking about," he replied, still keeping his head turned towards the doorway, not taking a second to actually look at me. But of course I knew what he was talking about, but I was right then having a hard time to completely understand it myself. Then it dawned on me exactly what he had said before.

"Do you mean you've known all this time?" I said, "you've known before I even figured out?" I was a bit confused at this point. Phil never figured out anything, ever. He just looked at me and nodded his head. I was getting a bit angry at his lack of words at this time. "Could you at least say something useful? I mean, you've known about this for God knows how long and here I am still pretty much clueless myself. How did you figure this out?" I asked, my words ending up jumbling together. Phil smirked once again and hit him, hard, in the arm. "Phil!" I yelled, very irritated.

"Fine, fine," he said, turning his entire body on the bed to look directly at me. "First of all, it wouldn't have been anymore obvious if you flat out kissed him in front of every living soul on earth," he said. I frowned. Had it really been that obvious? "Secondly, you might not know this, but I happen to be an expert with the whole 'love' thing, the signs were all there. They still are, actually" he said. I raised an eyebrow, suspecting that he was joking at this time. When he didn't smile or grin, I started to take him a little more seriously.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I said, laying back down on the bed. That was a really stupid question, I know. I should know if I was in love or not, right? Well, apparently not. Otherwise Phil and I wouldn't be having this conservation right now. Fuck, I felt so stupid. How could I have not taken notice to my feelings for Stu? How could I have not put the pieces together and come to the conclusion that yes, I indeed loved him. But being the incredibly slow person I am, I did no such thing. I remember when Stu told me three years ago that he was dating Melissa. I knew at the time I felt shitty and very upset about the fact of that, but something still didn't click. I put my face into my hands, I felt like crying. Phil laid beside me on the bed.

"I didn't tell you because I figured you wouldn't believe me. Considering how much I tormented you over everything when we were young, I guess you would have had a reason to," he explained, I muttered a "mm-hmm" which was muffled by my hands that were still covering my face. I knew he was right. I didn't take anything seriously that he told me when we were young. I felt Phil moved and took my hands away to see he had flipped over on his side, resting his hand on his hand. "Are you going to talk to him about it?" he asked, studying me carefully. I sent him a panicked look.

"No, Phil, I can't. It would ruin everything between us," I said frantically, my breathing becoming more rapid. I turned over on my back and buried my head in the sheets. "I can't…"

I felt a hand on my back and turned by head to look at Phil. The look in his eyes was something I hadn't ever seen before. It was a look of comfort, support. Phil and I haven't ever gotten along too well, just like any other average sibling relationship. But now, probably because we were older as well we have been getting along better. Thus, it was rare moments like these that I really appreciated having him as a brother. Sure, we still do fight a lot, but I can always know he is there for me whenever I need him for important situations. Situations much like the one we were facing right now. I smiled wearily at him and he did the same in my direction.

"I know the way he looks at you. The way his face always turns red whenever you guys happen to touch. Take tonight at the restaurant, for example. It looked like he was about to pass out when you two had locked eyes. If that's not feeling at least something like the way you're feeling for him, I don't know what is," he told me. I nodded. Phil was right, but what if he didn't actually feel the same? I wouldn't be able to deal with being around him anymore if I told him and he didn't feel the same. Ugh, it was just all so stressful, I didn't know what the hell to do. With that, my face resumed it's position with being consumed by my bed's blankets.

"I'll think about it. Right now I'm just a bit overwhelmed," I said, through the sheets.

"Whenever you need to talk, you know I'm here. For the meantime, I have to get home. My wife was expecting me home earlier than this. I'll come over to see you tomorrow, okay?" Phil said before he left. I then felt him get off the bed and heard him walk out and shit the door behind him. I finally let go and soon I was sobbing my heart out. This was too much, too soon, I didn't know how to deal with it.

There were so many possibilities about everything running through my head. If I did tell Stu, there was the possibility that he wouldn't feel the same. If I didn't I tell anything and kept my mouth shut, I would be completely eaten inside and out by my conscience. There is also the possibility that I do keep quiet about it and Stu ends up finding someone else. We were both getting older, and I know he would want to eventually find someone. How badly I wanted that 'someone' to me be. I wanted, no, I _needed _him. And it hurt so badly; it felt as if my heart was going to explode, like I was going to throw up.

I lay on my bed for hours just thinking about the situation. Thinking about him. Crying about him. I cried until no more tears would come. Now feeling exhausted I crawled into bed and pulled the covers over myself, still fully dressed in the same jeans and tank top I had on earlier. I'd have to unpack sometime tomorrow. The moving truck must have been late, I suppose they would arrive tomorrow. Hopefully, anyway. Right now, however, unpacking wasn't the first thing on mind. I felt my eyes get heavy and let them close. I slowly drifted off to sleep, my very last thought being about Stu.

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I've noticed that a few of you have favorited my story only without leaving my review. Don't be afraid to leave a comment of any sort, I don't bite! I personally love getting reviews, it makes me feel much more motivated to keep writing. So, review, review, review! =D


	5. The Beach

Ah, sorry for the longish wait guys. I have been really busy .

**KittyClair:** I'm glad you like Chloe! Thanks again for your review =D

**BandDork13: **I know how you feel, there definitely aren't enough Stu lovers around here. He needs more love, dammit! xD Thanks for the review!

On to chapter 5!

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I woke the next morning feeling like shit. My head hurt, and even though I had a good night's sleep, seeming I had slept in until 12:00 in the afternoon after looking at the digital clock on my nightstand, I still felt tired. Pulling back the covers I forced myself out of my bed and slugged to the bathroom. Flicking on the light I dared myself to look in the mirror.

"Oh, fuck," I said aloud to myself. My hair was a complete mess, my eyes were puffy and the makeup that had been on them the night before had been smeared everywhere in my sleep. I turned on the tap and washed my face to attempt to clean myself up a bit. Looking back up to the mirror I found that my makeup, which was obviously not waterproof had almost washed off. Sighing, I went back to my room to get my hairbrush. After a moment of rummaging though my luggage I managed to find it and began to rake it through my hair. That really didn't help my headache and it intensified about a thousand times worse than it already was. Finally, I had all of the knots and tangles out and I lazily tossed my brush back in it the bag I had found it in. I then put on a pair of jean shorts on as well as a black low cut top and made my way downstairs.

"Wow, I didn't think you'd ever get up," my father said from the living room, smirking at me. I managed to make out a grin.

"Yeah, I had a rough night," I explained, flopping down next to him on the couch. He flipped through the newspaper he had in his hands. My mother then walked in.

"Oh, Chloe, you're up! You missed breakfast, do you want me to get you something to eat?" she asked, I turned to look at her.

"No mom, that's okay. I can get something myself," I said, not really hungry anyway. I rested by head on the back of the couch, staring at the ceiling fan above me, watching it slowly go round and round. I was broken from my trance when the front door opened. I looked up to see Phil, his wife, Stacey and his son, Nick walked in. I stood up to greet them. Nick's face immediately lit up when he saw me and he ran to me.

"Aunt Chloe!" he exclaimed, crashing into me and hugging my waist tightly.

"Hey, little man," I said, kneeling down to hug him properly, smiling at the boy. I stood up and went over to Stacey where we both hugged.

"Good to see you," she said, smiling softly as she hugged me.

"It's good to see you too, it's been a long time," I said, letting go of her. Phil nodded at me from behind his wife. I smiled half heartedly at him, a bit embarrassed about the situation that happened last night. I shrugged off the feeling and followed Stacey and Nick into the living room, Phil right behind me. Not long after we had settled down and began talking a knock could be heard at the door. I decided to answer it as it didn't look like anyone else was making a move to. I got up from where I was sitting and made my way to the front door. Opening it, my heart beat sped up at once. There stood Stu, grinning awkwardly at me. I did the same.

"Um, hey," he said quite lamely, shifting from foot to foot. Christ almighty, I felt like I would die right there and then. This was the first time I laid eyes on Stu since I finally realized how exactly I felt about him. Let alone talk to him, though I hadn't said anything to him yet. I nodded, searching for something to say.

"Hi," I said, taking a deep breath. I had the feeling like I was going to throw up again, which was never a good thing.

"I, uh. I was wondering if I could take for a drive or something. You know, to catch up on things," he said, clearly uncertain about what was coming out of his mouth. He looked down briefly before looking back up at me. "Just the two of us, maybe," he added, a bit quieter than before. Me and him? Alone in his car? Shit. It's not that I didn't want to, but I didn't want to do anything stupid either. I looked at him, stuttering a bit before answering.

"Sure, I'd like that," I said, as calmly and natural as I could. Though I don't think I did a very good job of that as Stu sent be a weird look, as if asking if I was okay. Was I okay? Definitely not. "Just a second, I have to let everyone know that I'll be gone for a bit," I said, doing this retarded motion with my hands that I didn't even know was supposed to mean. With that, I went inside, leaving the door open. "Hey everyone, I'm going out for a bit, but I'll be back later," I explained. Phil looked at my funny. I shook my head slightly, only enough so that he could take notice of it and went back out the door before anyone could say anything. That probably would have been considered a bit rude, but I was too worked up to take any notice.

Now outside on the front steps next to Stu, I shut the door behind me and we both walked down the stairs and into his car. I shut the door and let out a shaky sigh. As much as I love Stu's company, right now it just felt awkward to be around him. Though I wasn't going to let that stop me from spending time with him. He is my best friend after all, no matter exactly how I felt about him. I buckled up while he did the same and soon after he had started up the car he back up out of the driveway and we were on the road. None of us spoke for a little while but eventually Stu broke the silence.

"So, are you enjoying your stay here?" he asked as if it was my first time ever being in Los Angeles. I give him credit for at least saying something though, no matter how lame that might have sounded.

"Yeah, it's just as I remember," I said, smiling as I thought back to my younger days here. The guys and I always managed to have fun. We could turn just about any situation into something enjoyable. I looked over to Stu and he nodded.

After a while, the silence became too much and I turned on the radio. I sighed and leaned back into a seat as a song came on, satisfyingly getting rid of the uncomfortable quietness between us. The song was half over when we passed the beach. "Oh! Can we stop by the beach? I haven't been there in so long," I said, practically jumping up and down in my seat. That sure took care of the awkwardness. "I mean, if you didn't already have anything planned," I added, waiting for Stu's reply. He smiled and briefly took his eyes away from their intense stare at the road to look at me, a pleasant smile plastered on his face.

"Sure, we can go to the beach. I don't think I've been there for as long as you have," he said with a shrug, turning his attention back to the road.

With a left turn of the car, we drove down the beach's parking lot to find a spot. It was getting late, so not as many people were there as usual when it's earlier. But the emptying beach was a good thing, as we could have a peaceful time together without the hassle of too many people. We parked and got out of the car. There was a cool breeze coming off of the ocean and the horizon was beginning to turn a variety of pinks, oranges and yellows as the sun set lower and lower.

I ran down the stairs that led to the beach, excited and thrilled to be back here. I wide, toothy grin spread across my face as I turned to wait for Stu. When he reached the bottom of the stairs I took off towards the ocean, feeling more alive than I have for a long time. Without giving a second thought, I ran through the water, shoes and all, getting them completely water logged. I laughed and stopped my crazy dance in the tide, motioning for Stu to come join me. He widened his eyes and quickly shook his head, but like that was going to do any good. I waded through the ankle-deep water back onto the beach and grabbed Stu's hands, dragging him with me, him protesting all the way.

"Lighten up!" I laughed, bending over and sending a huge splash in his direction, soaking him. He looked at me, hair dripping before busting out laughing.

"You know this means war, right?" he said simply, before splashing me with a wave of water. I laughed quietly.

"You're on," I said, and the war began. We got each other soaked from head to toe. I could almost feel the glares of the people left on the beach, they must think we were so immature for our age. Like I cared, I was having the time of my life, and judging by Stu's laughter, he was as well. This however was a bit odd, as Stu just about always acted in a mature manner, especially in public. I, of course, wasn't going to complain.

Eventually, I got a bit bored with the situation of just some simple splashing, I decided to take things up a notch. I sprang from the water, which was now up to our knees and collided with Stu, knocking him over, me going down with him. He landed on his back in the water, I on top of him. Shit, maybe that wasn't such a good idea. I felt my face heat up instantly, but I for whatever reason couldn't find myself to move off of him. So I just lay there, him in under me, completely stiff and staring at him like a complete idiot. I could feel his breathing become more rapid. My thoughts were screaming at me to get up, but I just couldn't. Fuck, I definitely have some serious problems, Stu was going to think I was a utter moron. His flushed face is what made me come back to reality. Was he actually blushing? Was it only because he was uncomfortable, or…? Oh God, what was happening? Maybe I'm going crazy. Maybe I'm just imagining the color in his face, I don't know.

The loud barking of a dog snapped me out of my trance, actually startling me more than anything else. I jumped and awkwardly moved to stand up, my legs a bit wobbly as I took a few steps away from Stu. He cleared his throat, and stood up as well. I couldn't bring myself to look at him; I didn't want to see his expression, afraid it was something along the lines of disgusted. I watched the large black dog who had barked earlier run in the tide, presumably his owner standing on the beach watching him. He caught my gaze and waved cheerfully. I raised my hand and waved back, attempting to smile, but it only ended up coming out like I was in pain. Hell, I was in pain. I've never felt this way before, it's like somebody was trying to rip out my heart. It hurt.

I turned towards the sunset, away from Stu and squeezed my eyes shut. I wanted to cry so badly, but I didn't want to do it in front of Stu. I was becoming such a pansy, I almost never cried. Taking in a deep, shaky breath I puckered up the courage to speak.

"It's getting dark, we should get going" I said plainly, my voice flat and emotionless. I forced my eyes to him. His face looked blank, unreadable. It was kind of frightening, I didn't know what to make of it.

"Yeah, let's go," he said, turning and walking out of the water. I followed him, looking down at the ground as I walked, thoughts racing, matching the rhythm of my heart.

Three words will fit this moment quite nicely: Fuck. My. Life.


	6. The Start of Something New

Sweet Jesus, I am SO sorry for not uploading in such a long time ._. I have been unbelievably busy with my school work and studies, and I've literally had no time to write/update this story. I have had final exams all this week, but thankfully my last one is on Monday and then I'm off for summer, which means I'll have much more time to write. Though I can't promise when I'll be able to upload anything. All I know is it wont be as long of a wait as this time, haha.

**KittyClair: **Thanks again for your review! They're much appreciated ^^

**BandDork13: **Thank you! I'm glad you like that =) I've also noticed that you haven't updated your Hangover for a while either, I hope you do very soon!

**.LF:** Though it should be obvious by now, yes, I am indeed continuing this story xD And I agree, there definitely needs to be more Stu/Hangover stories here =D

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Stu and I drove home in even more silence than we had before. I feel horrible. I didn't even want to move long enough to switch on the radio to remove the silence like I had done before. Instead, I just sat looking out the window, starting into the darkness. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the cool glass of the window and sighed heavily.

Soon I felt the car make a turn and I looked up to find that we were now parked in my parent's driveway. I removed my head from the window and went to quickly unbuckle my seat belt so I could get myself the hell out of Stu's presence. I finally got it undone and grabbed for the handle on the door before I head a quiet "click". I pulled on the door handle, to find that the click I heard was Stu locking all the doors. Or, at least he had locked mine. I let go of the handle and managed to force myself to look at him.

His face, unlike what I feared, was to a point where it looked almost concerned. His eyebrows were furrowed together, and his eyes watched me intensely with a comforting look to them. I felt slightly relieved at this, and turned in my seat to gaze at him properly, feeling more comfortable now. I took this opportunity to speak.

"Listen, Stu, about-," I started, but he cut me off by holding up his hand. I stopped and looked curiously at him, waiting for him to say something. He lowered his hand and reached out to take one of mine.

"I think we should get together sometime tomorrow to talk about this," he said, though I think I had stopped breathing when he took my hand. I could only nod and he smiled, very faintly, but I could still see it.

"Yeah," I said, letting out the breath I had been holding. I squeezed his hand and sighed shakily. "After all, the inside of your car isn't really the best place for this, is it?" I added, awkwardly laughing after. He chuckled under his breath.

"You're right. How about tomorrow I come pick you up and take you to my house? Say, around 2 in the afternoon or so?" he said. I could tell he was nervous. He may not look like it to just anyone, but from being around him so much growing up, it was hard for me to miss.

"That sounds good," I half-whispered. It wasn't like to me act shyly, especially from someone who has been my best friend my entire life. With that, he, to my misfortune let go of my hand and unlocked the door. But I didn't make any attempt to move right away. Without thinking, I leaned over and kissed his cheek. He flushed instantly, and I'm pretty sure I did the same, though my mind was racing far to much to really take notice. Retaining myself from grinning like some mental patient, I smiled as sane as I could and opened the door and got out. Without either of us saying anything else, I closed it and walked up the stairs to the front door. Looking back, I saw Stu still parked, grinning at me. I did the same, and slipped inside, closing the door and leaning against it, my legs barely supporting my upper body.

Despite being the age I was now, my actions mimicked perfectly that of a lovesick teenager, experiencing love for the first time. This was hardly the case, as I have had countless boyfriends in the past. Everything was just different with Stu. I felt love towards him like nothing else experienced with my past boyfriends. This kind of love was completely new, and I was loving the feeling it gave me. But the much feared thought of loosing our friendship drifted into my head. If we eventually did together, and for whatever reason, broke up, I know for a fact that I would never feel the same for him again. This was something that I didn't want to think of, but I knew that it would happen under those circumstances.

Not realizing that I had slumped to the floor, my legs must have given way from my absentminded thinking, I found myself looking up into my brother's face. He wore a knowing smirk, equipped with a raised eyebrow as he gazed down at me on the floor. My parents were God knows where, probably gone to bed. The are known for going to bed pretty early.

"Why aren't you home with Stacey and Nick?" I asked, staring blankly at Phil, not taking any time to explain exactly why I was on the floor.

"I knew something would happen with you and Stu tonight. I wanted to stay to hear all about it when you came home," he said, his voice full of amusement. I sighed and got to my feet giving Phil a weary look.

"Who said that I would tell you?" I said, a devilish smirk forming on my face. Phil just laughed softly and gestured for us to go into the living room. He starting walking and I followed after him. He knew just as much as I did that I would be telling him the events of my evening with Stu. Sitting down on the couch next to him, I leaned into it, getting myself comfortable. I then turned my attention to Phil, who still, not to my surprise, was still grinning foolishly at me. I glared at him before speaking.

"So…" I said, quite lamely, thinking of how to put my words together. Phil remained silent as he waited for me to start speaking again. "Me and Stu went to the beach tonight. We were having a lot of fun, and ended up having a huge water fight," I said slowly, smiling to myself as I thought of the previous happens that evening. "Everything was going great, and my mind focused away from my feelings for him and just acted like my old self with him. But of course, me being me, I manage to fuck everything over and fell on top of him. Since I'm a complete idiot, I fucking stayed there, sprawled across him and my body decided to freeze," I sighed in frustration, though obviously had worked out after that. I was just pissed at myself for doing that. Not noticing that I had taken a longer pause than I had anticipated, I shook my head an continued. "We left after that, and the drive home was absolute hell. Neither one of us spoke the entire way. But when he pulled up in the driveway, we talked for a bit and he suggested that I come over to his place to talk," I concluded with a quirk nod, looking at Phil to hear his response. "Oh yeah, and I sort of, um, kissed him before I got out of the car. On the cheek," I added. Phil's expression was no longer filled with amusement, but much more serious now.

"Wow," was all he said at first, pondering what I had said before saying anything else, his expression oddly calm. But to my misfortune, this didn't last long at all before he turned to practically scream at me. "YES!," he shrieked, and I jumped back a bit, wide-eyed.

"The _fuck_..?" was all I could say as I watched, getting a bit scared at the wild look in his eyes.

"You have no fucking idea how long I've been waiting for you two to hook up," he said, beaming at me, he face a bit too close for my own comfort.

"Yeah. The only thing is, we _haven't_ 'hooked up'," I said, placing a hand on Phil's shoulder and pushing him back from me, starting to get a tad creeped out.

"Come on, Chloe, don't be so dense," Phil said excitedly, shaking his head and laughing at me. I furrowed my eyebrows and gave him a good smack on the arm. He flinched and pulled back, rubbing his eyebrow and glaring at me.

"I am _not_ dense. It's the truth. We're not a couple. Well, yet, anyway," I said, looking away from him.

"Whatever, whatever," Phil said, his smirk returning. "We'll see how much that changes after you get back from Stu's tomorrow," he said, winking at me and standing up. "I'm going to go now, Stacey's expecting me back soon. Good luck tomorrow," he said, leaving to walk out the door.

"Bye," I said simply. "And thanks, I guess." Phil turned once more to nod and grin at me, then he was gone. I stayed on the couch for a bit and finally took a moment to glance on the old fashioned analog clock that we've had since I could remember on the wall. It read 10:30 and I blinked, a bit surprised. I was extremely tired, and since I had gotten up late today, I really shouldn't be tired yet. Shrugging I got off the couch and trudged up the stairs, opening my room door and taking the time to change for bed unlike last night. I rooted through my luggage and pulled out the first thing I could find for bed; dark and light blue striped pajama shorts and a light blue tank top. Tossing my old clothes, which might I add, much needed a good washing after it's encounter with salt water from the beach, and climbed into bed, pulling the covers over my lazily. It wasn't long before my eyelids began to droop and soon enough, I was soundly sleeping. But not before the thoughts of what could happen tomorrow.

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Gah, I didn't realize how short this was x3 For such a long wait too. Oh well, the next chapter will probably be much longer ^^

And like I've said before, I really love getting reviews, so don't hesitate to leave one if you like my story. I respond to all reviews as well ;D


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